Sunrise mall

Caller-Times file The Sunrise Mall parking lot was so full in late November 1981, illegally parked cars were being towed away. Once billed as Corpus Christi's premier mall, Sunrise has been battered by economics, competition and shopper disinterest. The mall has twice been foreclosed upon and is up for auction Saturday.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Caller-Times file Police control the flow of traffic into Sunrise Mall on its opening day, Feb. 4, 1981. The now mostly vacant mall, which was built for $30 million (about $75 million in today's dollars), recently was listed for sale at $7.5 million.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

TODD YATES/CALLER-TIMES Customers at the new Planet Fitness in the Sunrise Mall can look out on the mall traffic as they work out at the gym. The gym recently opened, and Summit Church has purchased the empty space once held by anchor store Stein Mart.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Caller-Times file Construction under way at Sunrise Mall in January 1981. Developers felt there were enough available department stores to sustain a second mall next to Padre Staples Mall, which is now La Palmera.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Caller-Times file Crowds took advantage of the after-Christmas sales at Sunrise Mall in 1983. The mall's escalators no longer work, and most stores sit empty while neighboring La Palmera mall thrives.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Caller-Times file Traffic jams outside Sunrise Mall on Dec. 24, 1984. The Christmas shopping season of today looks much less busy as most stores have vacated the 30-year-old mall that is up for auction Saturday.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

TODD YATES/CALLER-TIMES As Sunrise Mall turns 30 years old, the mall has attracted unconventional tenants such as the new Planet Fitness.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

TODD YATES/CALLER-TIMES As Sunrise Mall turns 30 years old, the mall has attracted unconventional tenants such as the new Planet Fitness. The mall is up for auction Saturday.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Christmas shoppers search for gifts at Sunrise Mall in late November 1993. Once billed as Corpus Christi's premier mall, Sunrise is mostly vacant 30 years later. The mall is up for auction Saturday. Caller-Times file

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Caller-Times file C-101 DJ Bonnie Stacy was one of the first to get her hair cut by Hollywood stylist Lunn Del Kail at Sunrise Mall for filming of the movie "The Legend of Billie Jean" in October 1984. Extras in the background waited their turn to get the haircut.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Caller-Times file Construction of Sunrise Mall in April 1980. Sears is on the left (already built) and H-E-B is left of center. South Padre Island Drive is in the background. The twice foreclosed-upon mall turned 30 this year and is up for auction on Saturday.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Caller-Times file A catamaran sits in the fountain at Sunrise Mall as a promotion for the Summer Fun and Fitness show in June 1984. The same area sees little traffic today as most stores have vacated the shopping complex.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Caller-Times file Construction of Joske's at Sunrise Mall in this undated photo. Joske's closed in 1987, becoming the first in a long line of anchor stores to leave the mall.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Caller-Times file Sunrise Mall under construction in January 1981. The entrance to Sears is in the background. The mall was added onto Sears, which is the mall's longest-running anchor store. The mall is up for auction Saturday.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Caller-Times file Shoppers ride the escalator at Sunrise Mall as a member of the production crew of "The Legend of Billie Jean" operates lighting for filming in October 1984. A chase scene was filmed at the mall, which at the time bustled with stores. Now mostly vacant, the mall is up for auction on Saturday.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

TODD YATES/CALLER-TIMES Rick Garcia and other customers of the new Planet Fitness at Sunrise Mall workout early Thursday morning, Planet Fitness one of the new businesses to move into the 30-year-old mall.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Caller-Times file Shoppers at Sunrise Mall in late November 1982. Except for a handful of shoppers and mall walkers, the mostly vacant mall's atrium rarely sees crowds. The twice foreclosed-upon mall is up for auction Saturday.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Caller-Times file Sunrise Mall from South Padre Island Drive. Once considered Corpus Christi's upscale shopping center, it has been abandoned by shoppers over time. International Bank of Commerce foreclosed on the mall in 2008, and it is up for auction on Saturday.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Todd Yates/Caller-Times file Sunrise Mall sits quiet in September 2008, days after the International Bank of Commerce foreclosed on the property. The mall is up for auction Saturday, and tenants hope new owners can turn it around.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Caller-Times file Shoppers in the atrium of Sunrise Mall in July 1990. Once billed as Corpus Christi's premier mall, Sunrise has been battered by economics, competition and shopper disinterest. The mall is up for auction Saturday.